National reports: Donington Park; Castle Combe
DONINGTON PARK MSVR MASTERS HISTORIC 2-3 APRIL
The season-opening Masters Historic Sports Car Championship encounter was ultimately a Bolton benefit as Bolton resident Tom Bradshaw won by threequarters of a minute in the family’s Bolton-built Chevron B19.
In the early stages, he’d run nip and tuck with the Lola T70 MK3B of Alex Brundle in an absorbing contest, with the Chevron nibbling at the rear of the mighty Lola. Sadly, it was not destined to last and, just as a safety car period started, Brundle peeled the Lola off into the pits with a terminal gearbox problem.
From the green, ex-formula Palmer Audi and Porsche racer Bradshaw took full advantage of the empty track ahead of him to blitz clear of the rest of the pack and complete the perfect start to his title campaign.
In Bradshaw’s wake, an absorbing three-way contest raged all the way to the flag. Jonathan Mitchell and Chris Beighton battled for second in another Chevron versus Lola contest initially, as up into fourth came British Touring
Car ace Jake Hill, having taken over the Chevron B26 of Roberto Giordanelli.
As he became more accustomed with the car, Hill set a searing pace and hunted down his opponents. But, just as he got up alongside Mitchell on the run out of Redgate, the clutch gave out and Hill toured into retirement. Mitchell, meanwhile, battled back ahead of Beighton to grab second by two seconds at the flag.
Bradshaw’s friend and fellow Boltonian Callum Grant took a superb win in the opening Historic Formula 2 contest. As others faltered, Grant drove a mighty race aboard his March 79B to finish ahead of Frazer Gibney (Chevron B40). Later, in an enthralling contest, Andrew Smith (March 742) ripped through from the tail of the grid to win from Martin Stretton (712) and Grant – the trio covered by less than four seconds.
The Pearson brothers, Gary and John, claimed another Jaguar E-type victory in the 90-minute Gentleman Drivers’ race, but it was never a straightforward affair.
Just two weeks short of the 60th anniversary of the first E-type race win,
Gary started in his brother’s car, while Brundle started the race in Gary’s machine.
Unfortunately, Brundle was again destined to non-finish, this time witha radiator problem. Instead, Gary concentrated on John’s E-type and handed it over to his brother mid-race.
Two safety car periods, one right from the start, interrupted proceedings and shuffled pitstop strategies. But, in the final sprint to the flag, John had enough in hand as
Mike Whitaker’s TVR Griffith and Mark Donnor’s E-type, now in the hands of Scot Andrew Smith, chased hard. Though still recovering from a back injury, and clearly suffering by the finish, John did a fine job.
“I had to give myself a couple of laps off at one point to rest my back. But we made it,” he said. Donnor and Smith were cruelly denied a place on the podium by a very late head-gasket failure, while Whitaker was left to rue the second safety car period when he and others lost out behind a very slow Alfa Romeo, which effectively operated as a second safety car.
In Classic Formula 3, wins were shared by F2 victor Andrew Smith and Conor Murphy.
Murphy won the opener under pressure but retired from the second after Smith (March 783) had gone ahead when the March 803B started to misfire.
Mike Cantillon was the class of the opening Masters Historic Formula 1 field and won at a canter in his Williams FW07C as Steve Hartley gave valiant but ultimately fruitless chase in his Mclaren MP4/1.
Lukas Halusa was an impressive third in his older Mclaren M23. Under constant pressure from Cantillon in the second race, Hartley looked to have overcome his rival until a moment on the brakes into the chicane with three laps to go allowed the Williams to nip ahead and take another win.
The combined pace of Marcus Jewell and Ben Clucas in the pre-1966 touring cars race kept their Lotus Cortina ahead of the V8 ranks, while the Masters Endurance Legends delivered two excellent races. Jack Dex (BR01) and Steve Tandy (Lola-judd B12/60) ultimately emerged as the victors, but Dex faced a big early challenge in the opener from the similar cars of Max and Shaun Lynn. Dex and Max Lynn then chased Tandy relentlessly to the flag on Saturday but to no avail.